From: alex Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2023 01:36:36 +0000 (+0000) Subject: Add hardware/about_headphones X-Git-Tag: 20240214-emacs~57 X-Git-Url: https://xn--ix-yja.es/gitweb/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=7d3878a1fc070f4dd26d21bb8246134b6d8879dd;p=alex.git Add hardware/about_headphones --- diff --git a/hardware/about_headphones.md b/hardware/about_headphones.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8ac9ad3 --- /dev/null +++ b/hardware/about_headphones.md @@ -0,0 +1,161 @@ +There is not a perfect set of headphones. + +# Headphones I use + +These are a few notes about the headphones I use, with pros/cons. + +## Shokz OpenComm + +These are my favorite headphones for remote work, meaning calls. +Shokz are bone conduction, meaning they do not go over your ear, or inside your ear, but rather sit on your temples. +They vibrate on near the bones in your ear. +This produces a strange sensation, but has many advantages (and disadvantages). + +* These are the most comfortable headphones I have ever tested. + I can literally wear them for several hours and I do not notice I have them on. + They do not warm your ears, or exert pressure, or anything. + It's more similar to wearing glasses (and they do not interfere with wearing glasses). + The only issue with comfort is using them in bed, or when your head is resting on something. + +* The sound quality is good for calls, but probably the quality for music can be criticized. + +* They provide **NO** sound isolation whatsoever. + This is good, because you do not have to take them off to interact with people physically. + But this is bad, because you will hear any noise around you. + +* However, they have a boom mic, meaning they avoid most background noise. + +* The controls are minimal, a volume rocker and a call/hang up button. + Muting requires pressing volume up and down at the same time, which is not convenient, so normally I use software mute. + +* They look very strange, and I don't feel comfortable wearing them on the street, etc. + +* When I'm not using them, I charge them. + I have never run out of battery. + +I use them with the Avantree DG80 adapter (see below) with my laptops, which avoids most Bluetooth issues, but still some issues remain. + +## Mpow Air 2.4G + +This is a cheap clone of the HyperX Cloud Alpha gaming headset. +Those are over ear wireless headphones with a wireless USB adapter. + +* Using USB does avoid **ALL** problems with USB. + They **always** work flawlessly with a computer, and sound quality is great. + However, they are impractical to use with a smartphone. + +* They have great sound isolation, so they filter most noise. + However, you need to take them off to hear your surroundings, which is sometimes inconvenient. + +* The microphone is very good. + However, some other gaming headsets mute the mic automatically when you move it "pointing up". + This has a dedicated microphone mute button, and a volume wheel. + +* I find them uncomfortable, and I don't like wearing them for more than 30 minutes or so. + They are also bad for use in bed, etc. + +* When I'm not using them, I charge them. + I have never run out of battery. + +These headphones are great when I need to focus or when my environment is very noisy. +I use them mostly for work, esp. when I need to record my voice. + +## Jabra Elite 85t + +Those are true wireless earbuds. + +* Music quality is very good. +* Microphone is bad. + It picks up a lot of wind and noise. +* They are quite comfortable. + Less than the Aftershokz, but I can wear them for long stretches, and I can use them in bed. +* The controls are a bit difficult to use, although they are physical buttons. +* They have some sound isolation and passthrough mode. +* They can play background noise. +* The battery is decent, but you will have to be more careful with running out of battery. + However, they have wireless charging, which is nice. + I'm somewhat concerned about battery degradation too. + +I like using these to listen to music, or to watch TV. + +## Cheap wired earbuds with microphone + +I have two pairs I bought in a supermarket. +They have decent quality, they never run out of battery, and they have no connection issues or require no dongle. +They are nice backup, and they are good for calls. + +I use them on the go, although one of my phones and my ChromeOS tablet require a USB adapter :( +I also use them plugged into my computer monitor, with an extension cable so I can plug/unplug them easily. + +# Notes + +## On form factors + +I don't think it's possible for one headset to be good at everything: + +* Calls +* Music +* Noise isolation vs environment awareness. + Headphones isolate or not. + Some isolating headphones have passthrough modes, but very few headphones can activate this immediately. +* Comfort +* Battery life +* Connection +* Easy and varied controls (mute, volume, etc.) + +Some of those areas are at odds with others. + +I use different headphones for different purposes. + +## On microphones + +The closest a microphone is to your mouth, the less noise it will pick up. +I do not have any indication that there are headphones whose microphone sits near your ears that do not pick up a lot of noise. +(My Jabra Elite 85t and the previous 65t pick up a lot of noise and wind.) + +Headsets with a boom mic are much better if you need to speak in noisy environments. + +## On Bluetooth and computers + +I have heard many issues with Bluetooth and computers, including Windows, Linux, and macOS. + +I use an Avantree DG80 Bluetooth *sound* adapter. +This is not a regular generic adapter to add Bluetooth to computers that do not have Bluetooth. +This is a Bluetooth audio device that connects to headphones or other Bluetooth devices and appears in your computer as a USB audio device. +Therefore, the Bluetooth implementation in your computer is ignored. +The device provides its own codecs. + +With this, you avoid most of the issues of Bluetooth on computers, which generally works worse than on smartphones. + +Also, if you pair a Bluetooth headset with the adapter, you can plug the adapter to multiple devices and the headsets will "follow" the adapter, without requiring pairing. + +This headset does not avoid all problems. +Notably, using the microphone requires the adapter to detect that your computer requests microphone use, and switching the Bluetooth mode. +This requires a few seconds. + +However, the adapter has all the "good codecs", so most sound quality issues are avoided, even on Linux. + +## On mute + +Unfortunately, few combinations of headphones and software have integrated mute capabilities. + +I don't like having separate mute controls: + +* On the headset +* On the operating system +* On the "software" (like Google Meet, Teams, etc.) + +It is inconvenient, because with so many controls it's easier to make mistakes and you are slower. + +Software mute is good, because other people will see you are muted. +This means, for example, that when you unmute, people might notice that you want to speak, etc. + +However, software mute requires interacting with the application, so it's not good for multitasking. + +Some headset mutes have a LED light that indicates you are muted, but it's not great. + +## On gaming controllers + +The XBox controllers **with their USB adapter** and the Playstation controllers **when plugged into a Playstation console** allow you to plug a wired headset. +This is very nice, because they work very reliably and you avoid much of the wireless problems (connection, battery, etc.). +If you play a lot, it's nice to have controllers with this feature.